ELECT OR ELITE
One of the dangers in choosing a special group to act on
behalf of a larger group is that misunderstanding and envy may arise.
In choosing a special priesthood out of a nation that was, at least,
priestly in calling, God was willing to risk the misunderstanding and
envy of some of the people. There are numerous texts that show that envy
and bitterness were indeed a problem connected with this.
The book of Numbers has this as one of its recurring themes. Chapters 12, 16 and 17 mention the problem. In twelve Aaron and Miriam are chafed by Moses' authority and in sixteen Korah and his companions are maddened by the peculiar claims of Aaron and his family.
In
electing a special priesthood God was not creating an elite group but
an elect group; not a 'lording it over' group but a servant group; not a
'self-chosen' class but 'an obedient to a call' class of men.
It's clear from a reading of the biblical text that God didn't make these priests
paragons of virtue, he didn't work a moral miracle and make them into
sinless beings. The behavior of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eli's sons,
Hopni and Phineas this and the frequent denunciation of the priesthood
by the prophets leave us in no doubt that priests had their character
flaws. Nevertheless, though flawed like all others, these God was pleased to choose as leaders of his people.
That
being the case, there was no ground for priests to act as though butter
wouldn't melt in their mouths. They were chosen not because they were
uniformly of wonderful character. In this they were like the nation
which God reminded again and again. "I didn't choose you because of your
righteousness." Israel had no more reason to look down on their
neighbors than the priests had to scorn their fellow-worshipers, the
Israelite nation.
But while the priests had to understand and act
on that truth, Israel needed to understand that the choice of Aaron and
his family was God's choice and as such, when they opposed
Aaron, they were opposing God. And when God called Aaron and his family,
Israel needed to understand that for Aaron to say no would have been to
rebel against Yahweh.
Let me say it again, both priests and the
nation needed to understand that the special priesthood was on Israel's
behalf. They were called to serve Israel. Envy against the
priestly representatives is out of order for many reasons but it misses
the mark because it is leveled against those whose very existence was to
serve them.
And the priests needed to understand that they were called to serve not to enslave. Authority in the form of representation is for others rather than over
others. And this remains true even though the priests are given the
authority to settle certain things, they are given decision-making
power. The people in many things must submit to the instructions of the
priests and are required to regard them as God's representatives to the
nation as well as the nation's representatives to God.
This truth
of honorable representation is embedded in the very nature of humanity
as God created it. He created humans for community and so he created
them as interdependent. Deuteronomy 1:9-18; Exodus 18:13-26 and Deuteronomy 16:18-20 speak of the need of honorable representation. Moses isn't
able to care for all the needs and troubles of the nation so men who
knew and loved God and the nation are chosen to broker peace and justice
and contentment between disputing or mutually ignorant parties who
differ.Once more, the choice of these judges was for the benefit of the
nation and to defy them was to defy God's arrangement by which the
entire Community was to be blessed—it was to defy God in the form of
anarchy [Deuteronomy 18:7-13]. God-given authority is not an enemy of justice or peace or community!
Imagine
thousands who wished to offer sacrifice to God at the Tabernacle. Paint
the picture as realistically as you are able. Bearing in mind that the
manner of sacrificing was appointed by God, how could they have managed
it without priestly representation? Imagine a sinful nation with all its
inner conflicts and picture it left to the physically strong or the
wickedly influential or those who can gain overwhelming power because
they had the money to bribe support among the people [see the case of
Absalom]. Honorable and wise representation beats anarchy and national
disorder.
Social justice is viewed as profoundly serious in the
OT—it's one of the fundamental requirements of Israel's existence as
God's nation. When leaders [priests, prophets, judges or kings] become
corrupt and in this way corrupt the entire nation God moves to deal with
the situation. The authority structures he put in place are not the
problem—corruption in all its forms is the problem!
Up to this
point I've been dealing mainly with the individuals rights of the nation
and how God's choice of authoritative representation is designed to
cater to those God-given "rights". But that is only one perspective of
the larger picture. Israel's business was to image God and his ways
before the nations of the world! The self-disclosure of God in the story
of the covenant with Abraham and his children through Jacob, the Exodus
and all that is part of that self-disclosure was to shape Israel's
Story and national behavior. As a People they were to be a living
embodiment of that continuing self-revelation of God. That imaging of
God was for the benefit of the entire human family—a Community was
called to bring light to the nations and salvation to the ends of the
earth. This of necessity involved the pursuit of social justice within
the community [note God's "hearing" Israel's groaning under Egyptian
bondage—Exodus 2:23-25].
It's clear that some structures
came and went with God's appointment and/or approval because they were
no longer needed or no longer served their purpose. SEE.
It's also true that some laws were introduced that God did not approve
or promote—he tolerated and regulated them [polygamy, concubinage,
divorce "for any cause" are examples (see Matthew 19:3-9]. But
the truths that underlay all these structures, truths that these
structures served, truths about God as creatior and Redeemer—these truths abide despite change.
Democracy
and egalitarianism can foster dangerous tendencies. In a world like
ours, if we pursue equality "in every conceivable area and way" too
vigorously we can destroy something more fundamental that gaining our
"rights" in every conceivable way. We can destroy "community" without
which "rights" can't exist or if they can they could not be enjoyed.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.